Tennessee head soccer coach Brian Pensky will begin his fourth season at the helm of the UT soccer program in 2015.

In 2014, Pensky led Tennessee on an impressive late-season surge with four-straight wins in a 10-day span (Oct. 26 - Nov. 5) and the Big Orange played in the SEC Tournament semifinals four the eighth time in program history. Tennessee defeated No. 21 Missouri, 3-0, at home on Oct. 26 and Cheyenne Spade's 108th-minute goal in the regular-season finale at Ole Miss punched UT's ticket to the SEC Tournament. Tennessee rallied back from a 2-0 deficit in the first round of the SEC Tournament to defeat Alabama, 3-2. In the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, Tennessee played No. 8 Florida to a 1-1 tie and advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4. Hannah Wilkinson and Allie Sirna earned NSCAA All-Region and All-SEC Tournament honors and Carlyn Baldwin was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

Pensky led UT to its third-consecutive and 14th-overall winning season in 2013 with a record of 8-7-4. The team notched three wins over ranked opponents, including triumphs over eventual conference champions Texas A&M (SEC champion) and UCF (Conference USA champion). Strong leadership from the team's upperclassmen helped continue UT's tradition of excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Senior forward Caroline Brown and junior back Allie Sirna garnered All-SEC honors and NSCAA Scholar All-Region accolades. Brown also earned Capital One Academic All-America second-team honors, making her the only two-time Academic All-American in UT history.

Pensky and Tennessee enjoyed a banner 2012 season. In Pensky's first year at Tennessee, the squad went 14-5-3 and made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UT also outperformed preseason league expectations, finishing third in the SEC after the team was picked 11th in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll in August. Tennessee boasted one of the nation's elite defenses. The team's 0.69 goals-against average set a new program record and the Lady Vols recorded 11 shutouts. UT also produced the longest shutout streak in school history with 533:22 of scoreless defense from Aug. 19 through Sept. 9. Tennessee finished at No. 18 in the final NCAA Women's Soccer RPI and the Lady Vols ranked 25th in the final Soccer America poll of 2012.

In 2012, sophomore forward and Pensky recruit Hannah Wilkinson was named a third-team NSCAA All-American and a first-team All-SEC selection. She became the fifth Lady Vol to be named an All-American (first, second or third team) and the fourth Lady Vol to garner NSCAA All-America honors.

Senior back Ali Hall was also an All-SEC and NSCAA All-South Region selection after leading one of the best defensive units in Tennessee soccer history.

Pensky, the 2010 Soccer America National Coach of the Year, was named the new head soccer coach at the University of Tennessee on Jan. 26, 2012 by University of Tennessee vice chancellor and director of athletics Dave Hart. Pensky took the helm at Tennessee after seven years as the head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of Maryland.

In 2010, Maryland earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Pensky was named both National Coach of the Year by Soccer America and ACC Coach of the Year. He served as the head coach of the Maryland women's soccer team from 2005-11 and posted a 67-52-20 overall record. While at the helm in College Park, Pensky led the Terrapins to their most successful three-year run in program history, with a 44-14-9 record and a .724 win percentage over the last three years.

Pensky guided Maryland to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last three consecutive seasons, including Sweet 16 appearances in both 2009 and 2011.

"I am humbled and honored to be the next head women's soccer coach at the University of Tennessee," said Pensky. "There were a number of factors that went into this decision, including the tradition of athletic excellence, the passionate fan base, and the first-class facilities. But most importantly, Abby and I were impressed by the family atmosphere within this athletics department, and we were very much drawn to that. We are very thankful to have the opportunity to join the Tennessee family."

Along with 2011 national champion Stanford and Florida State, Maryland is one of only three programs that has finished ranked in the Top 11 in each of the last three years in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, finishing 10th in 2010 and 11th in both 2009 and 2011. In 2010, Pensky guided Maryland to its best season in program history with an 18-2-3 record (.848) win percentage and a school-record 7-2-1 mark in the ACC. Additionally, co-captain Caitlin McDowell earned the 2010 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

Playing in a highly competitive conference, Pensky guided the Terps to their second-ever ACC Championship match in 2011. The Terrapins advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with victories over Auburn and La Salle in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Oklahoma State. Additionally, during Stanford's 25-0-1 national championship season in 2011, the lone blemish was a 0-0 tie against Maryland on Aug. 26, 2011.

During the past three years, Maryland posted a 15-10-5 record in the ACC, the first time the Terps recorded three consecutive seasons of .500 or better in conference play in program history.

During the last four seasons, Maryland defeated five Top 10 programs including the Terps' first-ever victories over the most-storied program in college soccer history, North Carolina. Under Pensky's guidance, the Terps defeated the 20-time NCAA Champions in each of the last two seasons.

The Terrapins had players drafted by Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) in each of the last two years: goalkeeper Mary Casey in 2010 by Los Angeles, and earlier this month, All-American forward Jasmyne Spencer by Philadelphia. Spencer was twice a member of the Hermann Trophy Watch List, awarded annually to the national player of the year. She also became the fifth Maryland player to earn All-ACC accolades three times.

Before guiding the women's team, Pensky served as an assistant coach with the Maryland men's program, helping those Terrapins to three consecutive College Cup berths (2002-04). Working with head coach Sasho Cirovski, Pensky helped the Terps to a 57-14-3 record (.791 win percentage). The men captured the ACC Tournament title in 2002 and regular season crown in 2003. In 2004, CollegeSoccerNews.com named Pensky one of the top assistant coaches in the nation.

Prior to working under Cirovski for three seasons, where he was involved in all facets of the program, Pensky was an assistant at Loyola College in Maryland, where he helped the Greyhound women's team win the 2001 MAAC Conference Tournament and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in his one season with the program. He came to Loyola after spending three years as an assistant coach with George Washington's women's soccer program.

Pensky holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Emory University in Atlanta, class of 1991, as well as an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation, an NSCAA Premier and NSCAA goalkeeping diploma.

Pensky and his wife, Abby, have three children, boy-girl twins Will and Alex and their youngest son, Ben.